NRC SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ASSOCIATED
WITH LICENSE RENEWAL PROPOSED FOR PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
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There will be two sessions held that day in the Plymouth Harbor Ballroom at the Radisson Hotel, 180 Water St. in Plymouth. The first session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m., as necessary. The second session, which will be a repeat of the first session, will get under way at 7 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m., as necessary. The NRC will host an open house beginning 1 hour before the start of each meeting to provide members of the public with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. However, formal comments must be offered during the transcribed meetings.

Both sessions will begin with an overview and an NRC staff presentation on the environmental review process for license renewal applications. After the NRC presentation, members of the public will be given an opportunity to present their formal comments on environmental issues they believe the NRC should consider during its review.

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating license for the Pilgrim plant is due to expire on June 8, 2012.

Entergy submitted its license renewal application for Pilgrim on Jan. 25. As part of its application, the company submitted an environmental report. The application can be reviewed via the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/pilgrim.html.

In addition, the document is available for review at the following libraries:

• The Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., Plymouth;
• The Duxbury Free Library, 77 Alden St., Duxbury, Mass.; and
• The Kingston Public Library, 6 Green St., Kingston, Mass.

An existing NRC document, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants" (NUREG-1437), assesses the scope and impact of environmental effects that would be associated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site. The document for which the NRC will gather information at the May 17th meetings will be a supplement to that generic environmental statement that is specific to Pilgrim. It will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewal action.

At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary of the conclusions reached and significant issues identified. A copy will be sent to each person who participated in the scoping process. The summary will also be available on the NRC’s web site through the Public Electronic Reading Room at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the previously mentioned libraries. Help in accessing documents through the Reading Room is available by contacting the NRC’s Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov.

The NRC staff will subsequently prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement for public comment and will hold a public meeting to solicit comments. After consideration of comments on the draft report, the NRC will prepare a final EIS.

Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the May 17th meetings by contacting Robert Schaaf at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1312, or Alicia Williamson, ext. 1878, or by sending an e-mail to PilgrimEIS@nrc.gov no later than May 12. Those who wish to offer comments may also register at the meetings within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register.

In addition, members of the public may send written comments on the environmental scoping process for the supplement to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement to: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001. Comments may also be delivered to the NRC, Room T-6D59, Two White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. during Federal workdays. To be considered, written comments should be postmarked by June 16. Electronic comments can also be sent via e-mail to PilgrimEIS@nrc.gov, again no later than June 16. Comments will be available on the NRC’s web page via the electronic documents system.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007